Since grizzly bears and gorillas inhabit different places of the earth, a fight between them would never occur. A bear would not accidentally bump into a gorilla and then engage in a brawl.
As such, this fight will only be possible if someone will ship a gorilla to a bear’s natural habitat or vice versa to intentionally make them fight. However, doing so would be against the law and incredibly cruel.
Thus, we are left to speculate as to what may transpire in the event that the two ferocious beasts engaged in a fight. Would the grizzly bear, a voracious predator, prevail? Or will the gorilla be able to stand its ground?
There are some factors that need to be established and taken into consideration first before exploring what might occur in a fight between a bear and a gorilla. The strongest kind from each corner should be the ones considered.
Among the gorillas, the male leader of the group, a silverback gorilla, is considered the strongest in the pack. Meanwhile, for bears, the species that are regarded as the strongest in either the polar bears or the grizzly bears. In this fight, the grizzly bear will be considered.
Characteristics of a grizzly bear compared to a silverback gorilla
Due to their beastly build, some people might assume that these two animals are fairly similar, but there are actually a number of differences between them. In contrast to silverback gorillas, which primarily consume plants with the occasional meal of insects, grizzly bears are among the most feared predators in the animal kingdom. Nonetheless, both animals are dangerous and would be ready to engage in a fight whenever they are triggered, or their respective territories are threatened.
Silverback gorillas could grow up to 6 feet tall and weigh around 350 pounds which is double the weight of an average adult individual. Their maximum speed is about 25 miles per hour. They spend most of their time searching for plants and insects that they could eat. Silverback gorillas are considered gentle giants compared to other enormous animals despite their depiction of being ferocious animals.
They only go rogue when they feel threatened. They usually attack people or other animals that invade their territory or cause harm to their group. Most of the time, two silverback gorillas fight to assert their power and dominance over their respective territory.
They fight using their sharp canine teeth which could easily tear the flesh of their opponent. They use their hands and legs for slapping and using their weight to charge, respectively. Another advantage of gorillas is their opposable thumbs which allow them to grab things.
In contrast, grizzly bears may reach heights of up to 9 feet when standing on their hind legs, but when they are standing on all of their legs, they can only reach heights of 3 to 5 feet. Male grizzlies could weigh up to 860 pounds which is roughly double the weight of their female counterpart (455 pounds). Their maximum speed is about 35 miles per hour.
Grizzly bears are apex predators and commonly eat other less aggressive animals such as elk calves. They also eat plants, fishes, and carcasses. Grizzlies are deemed as loners who prefer to hunt and live by themselves. As a result, when they notice that animals enter their territory, they feel threatened and retaliate viciously.
Aside from their sharp teeth, grizzlies also have very sharp claws that could easily tear the flesh of their opponents. In addition, the panniculus carnosus in their skin that makes the skin loose is more pronounced in bears than in gorillas. As such, the flesh of grizzly bears cannot be easily pierced and ripped.
How would the fight go?
The grizzly bear can easily defeat the silver gorilla because of its much more superior physical characteristics. Multiple clawing from the bear alone would definitely take the gorilla aback as it will be easily wounded due to its tight skin.
The gorilla would not even be able to get close to the bear to land a shot. Even if the gorilla tries to injure the bear, it will always be confronted by 3-inch claws and meat-grinding teeth. Its strength and speed will be rendered useless in the face of the voracious predator.
Even If the gorilla managed to seize an opportunity to attack, it would not cause any severe damage because the skin of the grizzly bear is built to withstand hits from any sharp object. In fact, the skin of the bear might not even be torn.
After the gorilla realizes that it has no chance of defeating the grizzly bear, it may try to flee, but even then, the gorilla will not be able to outrun its opponent because it is faster by about 10 miles per hour. When the gorilla already had several deep cuts from bear claws, it will not be long for the grizzly bear to sink its sharp teeth into the primate’s neck. In the end, the gorilla will be nothing more than a ragdoll for the bear.
It is clear that the grizzly bear has an upper hand in every department, such as in size, speed, and strength. The only chance that a gorilla would land an attack is to use its opposable thumbs to strangle the bear by charging it from behind. However, due to its much higher weight and strength, the bear could just pin down and crush the gorilla using its weight.
In general, a silverback gorilla could not possibly outmatch a grizzly bear that is almost twice as big, faster, and stronger.
Why would the Grizzly bear win?
Bears are extremely adept at fighting, as predators they are ingrained with the instinct to kill. Aside from its gigantic body as compared to the silverback gorilla, its paws are also armed with deadly 3-inch claws.
Despite the extreme physical strength of a silverback gorilla, there is no way that it could defeat a grizzly bear that is way superior in every physical aspect. The gorilla may try and put up a good fight but, in the end, it would be powerless in the face of a taller and bigger beastly animal that is the grizzly bear.